Tomato hybrid drtc1003 and parents thereof

ABSTRACT

The invention provides seed and plants of tomato hybrid DRTC1003 and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of tomato hybrid DRTC1003 and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a tomato plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another tomato plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Appl. Ser. No.62/459,971, filed Feb. 16, 2017, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of plant breeding and, morespecifically, to the development of tomato hybrid DRTC1003 and theinbred tomato lines CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits ina single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits may include any traitdeemed beneficial by a grower and/or consumer, including greater yield,resistance to insects and pathogens, tolerance to environmental stress,and nutritional value.

Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination.There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates ifpollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower ofthe same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollencomes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.

Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over manygenerations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce auniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A crossbetween two such homozygous plants of different genotypes produces auniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for many geneloci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number ofloci produces a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically andare not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makes performanceunpredictable.

The development of uniform varieties requires the development ofhomozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and theevaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection areexamples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbredplants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine thegenetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which new lines and hybrids derivedtherefrom are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes.The new lines and hybrids are evaluated to determine which of those havecommercial potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a tomato plant of thehybrid designated DRTC1003, the tomato line CHI-HE16-1025 or tomato lineCHIHE14-1119. Also provided are tomato plants having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of such a plant. Partsof these tomato plants are also provided, for example, including pollen,an ovule, scion, a rootstock, a fruit, and a cell of the plant.

In another aspect of the invention, a plant of tomato hybrid DRTC1003and/or tomato lines CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119 comprising an addedheritable trait is provided. The heritable trait may comprise a geneticlocus that is, for example, a dominant or recessive allele. In oneembodiment of the invention, a plant of tomato hybrid DRTC1003 and/ortomato lines CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119 is defined as comprising asingle locus conversion. In specific embodiments of the invention, anadded genetic locus confers one or more traits such as, for example,herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, and modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism. In further embodiments, the trait may beconferred by a naturally occurring gene introduced into the genome of aline by backcrossing, a natural or induced mutation, or a transgeneintroduced through genetic transformation techniques into the plant or aprogenitor of any previous generation thereof. When introduced throughtransformation, a genetic locus may comprise one or more genesintegrated at a single chromosomal location.

The invention also concerns the seed of tomato hybrid DRTC1003 and/ortomato lines CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119. The tomato seed of theinvention may be provided as an essentially homogeneous population oftomato seed of tomato hybrid DRTC1003 and/or tomato lines CHI-HE16-1025and CHIHE14-1119. Essentially homogeneous populations of seed aregenerally free from substantial numbers of other seed. Therefore, insome embodiments, seed of hybrid DRTC1003 and/or tomato linesCHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119 may be defined as forming at least about97% of the total seed, including at least about 98%, 99% or more of theseed. The seed population may be separately grown to provide anessentially homogeneous population of tomato plants designated DRTC1003and/or tomato lines CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a tissue culture of regenerablecells of a tomato plant of hybrid DRTC1003 and/or tomato linesCHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119 is provided. The tissue culture willpreferably be capable of regenerating tomato plants capable ofexpressing all of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofthe starting plant, and of regenerating plants having substantially thesame genotype as the starting plant. Examples of some of thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the hybrid DRTC1003and/or tomato lines CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119 include those traitsset forth in the tables herein. The regenerable cells in such tissuecultures may be derived, for example, from embryos, meristems,cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistils, flowers,seed and stalks. Still further, the present invention provides tomatoplants regenerated from a tissue culture of the invention, the plantshaving all the physiological and morphological characteristics of hybridDRTC1003 and/or tomato lines CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, processes are provided forproducing tomato seeds, plants and fruit, which processes generallycomprise crossing a first parent tomato plant with a second parenttomato plant, wherein at least one of the first or second parent tomatoplants is a plant of tomato line CHI-HE16-1025 or tomato lineCHIHE14-1119. These processes may be further exemplified as processesfor preparing hybrid tomato seed or plants, wherein a first tomato plantis crossed with a second tomato plant of a different, distinct genotypeto provide a hybrid that has, as one of its parents, a plant of tomatoline CHI-HE16-1025 or tomato line CHIHE14-1119. In these processes,crossing will result in the production of seed. The seed productionoccurs regardless of whether the seed is collected or not.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in “crossing”comprises planting seeds of a first and second parent tomato plant,often in proximity so that pollination will occur for example, mediatedby insect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually.Where the plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without theneed for direct human intervention other than plant cultivation.

A second step may comprise cultivating or growing the seeds of first andsecond parent tomato plants into plants that bear flowers. A third stepmay comprise preventing self-pollination of the plants, such as byemasculating the flowers (i.e., killing or removing the pollen).

A fourth step for a hybrid cross may comprise cross-pollination betweenthe first and second parent tomato plants. Yet another step comprisesharvesting the seeds from at least one of the parent tomato plants. Theharvested seed can be grown to produce a tomato plant or hybrid tomatoplant.

The present invention also provides the tomato seeds and plants producedby a process that comprises crossing a first parent tomato plant with asecond parent tomato plant, wherein at least one of the first or secondparent tomato plants is a plant of tomato hybrid DRTC1003 and/or tomatolines CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119. In one embodiment of theinvention, tomato seed and plants produced by the process are firstgeneration (F₁) hybrid tomato seed and plants produced by crossing aplant in accordance with the invention with another, distinct plant. Thepresent invention further contemplates plant parts of such an F₁ hybridtomato plant, and methods of use thereof. Therefore, certain exemplaryembodiments of the invention provide an F₁ hybrid tomato plant and seedthereof.

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method ofproducing a plant derived from hybrid DRTC1003 and/or tomato linesCHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119, the method comprising the steps of: (a)preparing a progeny plant derived from hybrid DRTC1003 and/or tomatolines CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119, wherein said preparing comprisescrossing a plant of the hybrid DRTC1003 and/or tomato linesCHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119 with a second plant; and (b) crossing theprogeny plant with itself or a second plant to produce a seed of aprogeny plant of a subsequent generation. In further embodiments, themethod may additionally comprise: (c) growing a progeny plant of asubsequent generation from said seed of a progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration and crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generationwith itself or a second plant; and repeating the steps for an additional3-10 generations to produce a plant derived from hybrid DRTC1003 and/ortomato lines CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119. The plant derived fromhybrid DRTC1003 and/or tomato lines CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119 maybe an inbred line, and the aforementioned repeated crossing steps may bedefined as comprising sufficient inbreeding to produce the inbred line.In the method, it may be desirable to select particular plants resultingfrom step (c) for continued crossing according to steps (b) and (c). Byselecting plants having one or more desirable traits, a plant derivedfrom hybrid DRTC1003 and/or tomato lines CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119is obtained which possesses some of the desirable traits of theline/hybrid as well as potentially other selected traits.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofproducing food or feed comprising: (a) obtaining a plant of tomatohybrid DRTC1003 and/or tomato lines CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119,wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity, and (b) collecting atleast one tomato from the plant.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, the genetic complement oftomato hybrid DRTC1003 and/or tomato lines CHI-HE16-1025 andCHIHE14-1119 is provided. The phrase “genetic complement” is used torefer to the aggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of whichsequences defines the phenotype of, in the present case, a tomato plant,or a cell or tissue of that plant. A genetic complement thus representsthe genetic makeup of a cell, tissue or plant, and a hybrid geneticcomplement represents the genetic make-up of a hybrid cell, tissue orplant. The invention thus provides tomato plant cells that have agenetic complement in accordance with the tomato plant cells disclosedherein, and seeds and plants containing such cells.

Plant genetic complements may be assessed by genetic marker profiles,and by the expression of phenotypic traits that are characteristic ofthe expression of the genetic complement, e.g., isozyme typing profiles.It is understood that hybrid DRTC1003 and/or tomato lines CHI-HE16-1025and CHIHE14-1119 could be identified by any of the many well-knowntechniques such as, for example, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990),Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified FragmentLength Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety), and Single NucleotidePolymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998).

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides hybridgenetic complements, as represented by tomato plant cells, tissues,plants, and seeds, formed by the combination of a haploid geneticcomplement of a tomato plant of the invention with a haploid geneticcomplement of a second tomato plant, preferably, another, distincttomato plant. In another aspect, the present invention provides a tomatoplant regenerated from a tissue culture that comprises a hybrid geneticcomplement of this invention.

Any embodiment discussed herein with respect to one aspect of theinvention applies to other aspects of the invention as well, unlessspecifically noted.

The term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the standarddeviation of the mean for the device or method being employed todetermine the value. The use of the term “or” in the claims is used tomean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives onlyor the alternatives are mutually exclusive. When used in conjunctionwith the word “comprising” or other open language in the claims, thewords “a” and “an” denote “one or more,” unless specifically notedotherwise. The terms “comprise,” “have” and “include” are open-endedlinking verbs. Any forms or tenses of one or more of these verbs, suchas “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes” and“including,” are also open-ended. For example, any method that“comprises,” “has” or “includes” one or more steps is not limited topossessing only those one or more steps and also covers other unlistedsteps. Similarly, any plant that “comprises,” “has” or “includes” one ormore traits is not limited to possessing only those one or more traitsand covers other unlisted traits.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and any specificexamples provided, while indicating specific embodiments of theinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides methods and compositions relating to plants,seeds and derivatives of tomato hybrid DRTC1003, tomato lineCHI-HE16-1025, and tomato line CHIHE14-1119.

Tomato hybrid DRTC1003, also known as DELISHER and 16-HE-CCT-1003, is acherry plum loose variety intended for the glasshouse environmentproduct market. DRTC1003 produces a high yield of uniform fruit suitablefor truss and loose harvest which have great red color, high brix, shelflife, and firmness. DRTC1003 stands out for its high productivity anduniform performance.

Tomato line CHI-HE16-1025 is an inbred red cherry plum single truss,greenback variety.

Tomato line CHIHE14-1119 is an inbred red cherry plum loose, nogreenback variety.

A. Origin and Breeding History of Tomato Hybrid DRTC1003

The parents of hybrid DRTC1003 are CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119. Theparent lines are uniform and stable, as is a hybrid produced therefrom.A small percentage of variants can occur within commercially acceptablelimits for almost any characteristic during the course of repeatedmultiplication. However no variants are expected.

B. Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Tomato HybridDRTC1003, Tomato Line CHI-HE16-1025, and Tomato Line CHIHE14-1119

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a plant having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of tomato hybrid DRTC1003 and the parent lines thereof.A description of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofsuch plants is presented in Tables 1-3.

TABLE 1 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Tomato HybridDRTC1003 CHARACTERISTIC DRTC1003 Sweetelle 1. Seedling anthocyanin inhypocotyl of 2-15 cm present present seedling habit of 3-4 week oldseedling normal normal 2. Mature Plant height (cm) 154.9  165.6  growthtype indeterminate indeterminate form normal/lax, open normal/lax, opensize of canopy (compared to others of medium medium/large similar type)habit sprawling semi-erect 3. Stem anthocyanin coloration medium weaklength of internode (only indeterminate short medium growth typevarieties) height (only indeterminate growth long long varieties)branching intermediate intermediate branching at cotyledon or firstleafy present present node number of nodes between first  7 to 10  7 to10 inflorescence number of nodes between early (first to 1 to 4 1 to 4second, second to third) inflorescences number of nodes between later 1to 4 1 to 4 developing inflorescences pubescence on younger stemssparsely hairy sparsely hairy (scattered long hairs) (scattered longhairs) 4. Leaf type (mature leaf beneath the third tomato tomatoinflorescence) type of blade bipinnate bipinnate margins of majorleaflets (mature leaf deeply toothed or cut, shallowly toothed beneaththe third inflorescence) sps. toward base or scalloped marginal rollingor wiltiness (mature absent absent leaf beneath the third inflorescence)surface of major leaflets (mature leaf rugose rugose beneath the thirdinflorescence) (bumpy or veiny) (bumpy or veiny) pubescence (mature leafbeneath the normal normal/smooth third inflorescence) (no long hairs)attitude horizontal horizontal/ semi-drooping length medium medium/longwidth medium medium size of leaflets small medium intensity of greencolor light/medium medium glossiness medium/strong medium blisteringmedium weak attitude of petiole of leaflet in relation semi-erectsemi-erect to main axis 5. Inflorescence type mainly uniparous mainlymultiparious type (third inflorescence) simple forked (2 major axes)average number of flowers in 18.3  33.9  inflorescence (thirdinflorescence) leafy or “running” inflorescence (third absent absentinflorescence) 6. Flower color yellow yellow calyx normal normal (lobesawl shaped) (lobes awl shaped) calyx-lobes shorter than corolla shorterthan corolla corolla color yellow yellow style pubescence sparse sparseanthers all fused into tube all fused into tube fasciation (first flowerof second or absent absent third inflorescence) peduncle abscissionlayer present (pedicellate) present (pedicellate) pedicel length (onlyvarieties with medium medium peduncle abscission layer present) 7. Fruitsurface smooth smooth base color (mature-green stage) apple or mediumapple or medium green green pattern (mature-green stage)green-shouldered green-shouldered shoulder color if different from basedark green dark green green shoulder (before maturity) present presentextent of green shoulder (before medium medium maturity) intensity ofgreen color of shoulder light medium (before maturity) intensity ofgreen color excluding medium light/medium shoulder (before maturity)green stripes (before maturity) absent absent size small small ratiolength/diameter moderately elongated moderately elongated shape inlongitudinal section obovate cordate shape of transverse/cross section(third round angular fruit of second or third cluster) shape of blossomend (third fruit of flat indented second or third cluster) shape ofblossom end flat indented shape of pistil scar (third fruit of dot dotsecond or third cluster) ribbing at peduncle end absent or very weakweak depression at peduncle end absent or absent or very weak/weak veryweak/weak size of stem/peduncle scar very small very small size ofblossom scar very small very small point of detachment of fruit atharvest at pedicel joint at pedicel joint (third fruit of second orthird cluster) length of dedicel (from joint to calyx 8.4 8.7attachment) (mm) length of mature fruit (stem axis) (mm) 35.1  35.2 diameter of fruit at widest point (mm) 25.6  28.7  weight of maturefruit (g) 13.4  15.3  core present present diameter of core in crosssection in small small relation to total diameter number of locules twotwo color, full ripe red red color (at maturity) red red flesh color,full-ripe pink pink color of flesh (at maturity) pink pink glossiness ofskin medium strong flesh color with lighter and with lighter and darkerareas in walls darker areas in walls locular gel color of table-ripefruit green red firmness medium medium/firm shelf life long/very longvery long time of flowering early early/medium time of maturity earlyearly ripening blossom-to-stem end blossom-to-stem end epidermis coloryellow yellow epidermis easy-peel normal epidermis texture average toughthickness of pericarp (mm) 3.8 5.0 thickness of pericarp thin/mediummedium 8. Phenology seeding to 50% flow (1 open on 50% 55   60   ofplants) (days) seeding to once over harvest (days) 106    106   fruiting season long long relative maturity in areas tested early early9. Chemistry and Composition of Full-Ripe Fruits pH 4.5 4.4 titratableacidity, as % citric 10.7  11.5  total solids (dry matter, seeds andskin 10.3  9.8 removed) soluble solids, as ° Bx 8.7 8.5These are typical values. Values may vary due to environment. Othervalues that are substantially equivalent are within the scope of theinvention.

TABLE 2 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Tomato LineCHI-HE16-1025 CHARACTERISTIC CHI-HE16-1025 Sweetelle 1. Seedlinganthocyanin in hypocotyl of 2-15 cm present present seedling habit of3-4 week old seedling normal normal 2. Mature Plant height (cm) 177.6 165.6  growth type indeterminate indeterminate form lax, opennormal/lax, open size of canopy (compared to others of largemedium/large similar type) habit semi-erect semi-erect height (onlyindeterminate growth type long long varieties) 3. Stem anthocyanincoloration strong weak length of internode (only indeterminate shortmedium growth type varieties) branching sparse intermediate branching atcotyledon or first leafy present present node number of nodes betweenfirst  7 to 10  7 to 10 inflorescence number of nodes between early(first to 1 to 4 1 to 4 second, second to third) inflorescences numberof nodes between later 1 to 4 1 to 4 developing inflorescencespubescence on younger stems sparsely hairy sparsely hairy (scatteredlong hairs) (scattered long hairs) 4. Leaf type (mature leaf beneath thethird tomato tomato inflorescence) type of blade bipinnate bipinnatemargins of major leaflets (mature leaf deeply toothed or cut, shallowlytoothed beneath the third inflorescence) sps. toward base or scallopedmarginal rolling or wiltiness (mature slight absent leaf beneath thethird inflorescence) onset of leaflet rolling (mature leaf late seasonN/A beneath the third inflorescence) surface of major leaflets (matureleaf rugose rugose beneath the third inflorescence) (bumpy or veiny)(bumpy or veiny) pubescence (mature leaf beneath the normalnormal/smooth third inflorescence) (no long hairs) attitude horizontalhorizontal/ semi-drooping length medium medium/long width medium mediumsize of leaflets small medium intensity of green color medium mediumglossiness medium/strong medium blistering weak/medium weak attitude ofpetiole of leaflet in relation horizontal semi-erect to main axis 5.Inflorescence type mainly uniparous mainly multiparious type (thirdinflorescence) simple forked (2 major axes) average number of flowers in17.1 33.9 inflorescence (third inflorescence) leafy or “running”inflorescence (third absent absent inflorescence) 6. Flower color yellowyellow calyx normal normal (lobes awl shaped) (lobes awl shaped)calyx-lobes shorter than corolla shorter than corolla corolla coloryellow yellow style pubescence sparse sparse anthers all fused into tubeall fused into tube fasciation (first flower of second or absent absentthird inflorescence) abscission layer present (pedicellate) present(pedicellate) pedicel length (only varieties with medium medium peduncleabscission layer present) 7. Fruit surface smooth smooth base color(mature-green stage) apple or medium apple or medium green green pattern(mature-green stage) green-shouldered green-shouldered shoulder color ifdifferent from base dark green dark green green shoulder (beforematurity) present present extent of green shoulder (before medium mediummaturity) intensity of green color of shoulder dark medium (beforematurity) intensity of green color excluding medium light/mediumshoulder (before maturity) green stripes (before maturity) presentabsent size small small ratio length/diameter moderately elongatedmoderately elongated shape in longitudinal section ovate cordate shapeof transverse/cross section (third round angular fruit of second orthird cluster) shape of blossom end (third fruit of flat indented secondor third cluster) shape of stem end (third fruit of second indentedindented or third cluster) shape of blossom end flat indented shape ofpistil scar (third fruit of dot dot second or third cluster) ribbing atpeduncle end absent or very weak weak depression at peduncle end absentor very weak/ absent or very weak/ weak weak size of stem/peduncle scarvery small very small size of blossom scar very small very small pointof detachment of fruit at harvest at pedicel joint at pedicel joint(third fruit of second or third cluster) length of dedicel (from jointto calyx  7.8  8.7 attachment) (mm) length of mature fruit (stem axis)(mm) 32.8 35.2 diameter of fruit at widest point (mm) 26.0 28.7 weightof mature fruit (g) 13.8 15.3 core present present diameter of core incross section in small small relation to total diameter number oflocules two two color, full ripe red red color (at maturity) red redflesh color, full-ripe pink pink color of flesh (at maturity) pink pinkglossiness of skin medium strong flesh color with lighter and withlighter and darker areas in walls darker areas in walls locular gelcolor of table-ripe fruit yellow red firmness medium medium/firm shelflife long/very long very long time of flowering early/mediumearly/medium time of maturity early early ripening uniformblossom-to-stem end epidermis color yellow yellow epidermis normalnormal epidermis texture average tough thickness of pericarp (mm)  4.4 5.0 thickness of pericarp medium medium 8. Phenology seeding to 50%flow (1 open on 50% 58   60   of plants) (days) seeding to once overharvest (days) 112   106   fruiting season long long 9. Chemistry andComposition of Full-Ripe Fruits pH  4.5  4.4 titratable acidity, as %citric 11.1 11.5 total solids (dry matter, seeds and skin 11.4  9.8removed) soluble solids, as ° Bx  9.7  8.5These are typical values. Values may vary due to environment. Othervalues that are substantially equivalent are within the scope of theinvention.

TABLE 3 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Tomato LineCHIHE14-1119 CHARACTERISTIC CHIHE14-1119 Sweetelle 1. Seedlinganthocyanin in hypocotyl of 2-15 cm present present seedling habit of3-4 week old seedling normal normal 2. Mature Plant height (cm) 146.2 165.6  growth type indeterminate indeterminate form normal normal/lax,open size of canopy (compared to others of medium medium/large similartype) habit semi-erect semi-erect 3. Stem anthocyanin coloration mediumweak length of internode (only indeterminate short medium growth typevarieties) height (only indeterminate growth medium/long long varieties)branching profuse intermediate branching at cotyledon or first leafypresent present node number of nodes between first  7 to 10  7 to 10inflorescence number of nodes between early (first to 1 to 4 1 to 4second, second to third) inflorescences number of nodes between later 1to 4 1 to 4 developing inflorescences pubescence on younger stemssparsely hairy sparsely hairy (scattered long hairs) (scattered longhairs) 4. Leaf type (mature leaf beneath the third tomato tomatoinflorescence) type of blade bipinnate bipinnate margins of majorleaflets (mature leaf deeply toothed or cut, shallowly toothed beneaththe third inflorescence) sps. toward base or scalloped marginal rollingor wiltiness (mature absent absent leaf beneath the third inflorescence)surface of major leaflets (mature leaf rugose rugose beneath the thirdinflorescence) (bumpy or veiny) (bumpy or veiny) pubescence (mature leafbeneath the normal/smooth normal/smooth third inflorescence) (no longhairs) (no long hairs) attitude semi-drooping/ horizontal/ droopingsemi-drooping length medium medium/long width medium medium size ofleaflets small medium intensity of green color medium medium glossinessmedium medium blistering medium weak attitude of petiole of leaflet inrelation horizontal semi-erect to main axis 5. Inflorescence type mainlyuniparous mainly multiparious type (third inflorescence) simple forked(2 major axes) average number of flowers in 22.7  33.9  inflorescence(third inflorescence) leafy or “running” inflorescence (third absentabsent inflorescence) 6. Flower color yellow yellow calyx normal normal(lobes awl shaped) (lobes awl shaped) calyx-lobes shorter than corollashorter than corolla corolla color yellow yellow style pubescence sparsesparse anthers all fused into tube all fused into tube fasciation (firstflower of second or absent absent third inflorescence) abscission layerpresent (pedicellate) present (pedicellate) pedicel length (onlyvarieties with medium/long medium peduncle abscission layer present) 7.Fruit surface smooth smooth base color (mature-green stage) apple ormedium apple or medium green green pattern (mature-green stage) uniformgreen green-shouldered shoulder color if different from base N/A darkgreen green shoulder (before maturity) absent present extent of greenshoulder (before N/A medium maturity) intensity of green color ofshoulder N/A medium (before maturity) intensity of green color excludinglight light/medium shoulder (before maturity) green stripes (beforematurity) absent absent size small small ratio length/diameter veryelongated moderately elongated shape in longitudinal section cylindriccordate shape of transverse/cross section (third round angular fruit ofsecond or third cluster) shape of blossom end indented indented shape ofstem end (third fruit of second flat indented or third cluster) shape ofblossom end indented to flat indented shape of pistil scar (third fruitof dot dot second or third cluster) ribbing at peduncle end absent orvery weak weak depression at peduncle end absent or very weak absent orvery weak/ weak size of stem/peduncle scar very small very small size ofblossom scar very small very small point of detachment of fruit atharvest at pedicel joint at pedicel joint (third fruit of second orthird cluster) length of dedicel (from joint to calyx 11.2  8.7attachment) (mm) length of mature fruit (stem axis) (mm) 43.1  35.2 diameter of fruit at widest point (mm) 23.2  28.7  weight of maturefruit (g) 14.5  15.3  core present present diameter of core in crosssection in very small small relation to total diameter number of loculestwo two color, full ripe red red color (at maturity) red red fleshcolor, full-ripe pink pink color of flesh (at maturity) pink pinkglossiness of skin medium strong flesh color with lighter and withlighter and darker areas in walls darker areas in walls locular gelcolor of table-ripe fruit red red firmness soft medium/firm shelf lifelong/very long very long time of flowering early early/medium time ofmaturity early early ripening uniform blossom-to-stem end epidermiscolor yellow yellow epidermis easy-peel normal epidermis texture averagetough thickness of pericarp (mm)  4.182 5.0 thickness of pericarp mediummedium 8. Phenology seeding to 50% flow (1 open on 50% of 55   60  plants) (days) seeding to once over harvest (days) 111    106   fruiting season long long relative maturity in areas tested early early9. Chemistry and Composition of Full-Ripe Fruits pH 4.6 4.4 titratableacidity, as % citric 9.4 11.5  total solids (dry matter, seeds and skin8.5 9.8 removed) soluble solids, as ° Bx 7.2 8.5These are typical values. Values may vary due to environment. Othervalues that are substantially equivalent are within the scope of theinvention.

C. Breeding Tomato Plants

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for producing seedof tomato hybrid DRTC1003 involving crossing tomato lines CHI-HE16-1025and CHIHE14-1119. Alternatively, in other embodiments of the invention,hybrid DRTC1003, line CHI-HE16-1025, or line CHIHE14-1119 may be crossedwith itself or with any second plant. Such methods can be used forpropagation of hybrid DRTC1003 and/or the tomato lines CHI-HE16-1025 andCHIHE14-1119, or can be used to produce plants that are derived fromhybrid DRTC1003 and/or the tomato lines CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119.Plants derived from hybrid DRTC1003 and/or the tomato linesCHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119 may be used, in certain embodiments, forthe development of new tomato varieties.

The development of new varieties using one or more starting varieties iswell known in the art. In accordance with the invention, novel varietiesmay be created by crossing hybrid DRTC1003 followed by multiplegenerations of breeding according to such well-known methods. Newvarieties may be created by crossing with any second plant. In selectingsuch a second plant to cross for the purpose of developing novel lines,it may be desired to choose those plants which either themselves exhibitone or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit thedesired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Once initialcrosses have been made, inbreeding and selection take place to producenew varieties. For development of a uniform line, often five or moregenerations of selfing and selection are involved.

Uniform lines of new varieties may also be developed by way ofdouble-haploids. This technique allows the creation of true breedinglines without the need for multiple generations of selfing andselection. In this manner true breeding lines can be produced in aslittle as one generation. Haploid embryos may be produced frommicrospores, pollen, anther cultures, or ovary cultures. The haploidembryos may then be doubled autonomously, or by chemical treatments(e.g. colchicine treatment). Alternatively, haploid embryos may be growninto haploid plants and treated to induce chromosome doubling. In eithercase, fertile homozygous plants are obtained. In accordance with theinvention, any of such techniques may be used in connection with a plantof the invention and progeny thereof to achieve a homozygous line.

Backcrossing can also be used to improve an inbred plant. Backcrossingtransfers a specific desirable trait from one inbred or non-inbredsource to an inbred that lacks that trait. This can be accomplished, forexample, by first crossing a superior inbred (A) (recurrent parent) to adonor inbred (non-recurrent parent), which carries the appropriate locusor loci for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross are thenmated back to the superior recurrent parent (A) followed by selection inthe resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from thenon-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations withselection for the desired trait, the progeny have the characteristicbeing transferred, but are like the superior parent for most or almostall other loci. The last backcross generation would be selfed to givepure breeding progeny for the trait being transferred.

The plants of the present invention are particularly well suited for thedevelopment of new lines based on the elite nature of the geneticbackground of the plants. In selecting a second plant to cross withDRTC1003 and/or tomato lines CHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119 for thepurpose of developing novel tomato lines, it will typically be preferredto choose those plants which either themselves exhibit one or moreselected desirable characteristics or which exhibit the desiredcharacteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Examples of desirabletraits may include, in specific embodiments, high seed yield, high seedgermination, seedling vigor, high fruit yield, disease tolerance orresistance, adaptability for soil and climate conditions, and delayedfruit ripening. Consumer-driven traits, such as a fruit shape, color,texture, and taste are other examples of traits that may be incorporatedinto new lines of tomato plants developed by this invention.

Delayed fruit ripening is a trait that is especially desirable in tomatoproduction, in that it provides a number of important benefits includingan increase in fruit shelf life, the ability to transport fruit longerdistances, the reduction of spoiling of fruit during transport orstorage, and an increase in the flexibility of harvest time. The abilityto delay harvest is especially useful for the processing industry astomato fruits may be picked in a single harvest. A number of genes havebeen identified as playing a role in fruit ripening in tomato. Mutationsin some of these genes were observed to be correlated with an extendedshelf life phenotype (Gang et al., Adv. Hort. Sci. 22: 54-62, 2008). Forexample, WO2010042865 discloses that certain mutations in the 2nd or 3rdexon in the non-ripening (NOR) gene can result in extended shelf lifephenotypes. These mutations are believed to result in an early stopcodon. It is therefore expected that any mutation resulting in an earlystop codon in an exon in the NOR gene, particularly a mutation resultingin an early stop codon in the 3rd exon, will result in a slower ripeningor an extended shelf life phenotype in tomato. A marker to select forthe unique mutation of each allele and to distinguish between thedifferent alleles of the NOR gene in a breeding program can be developedby methods known in the art.

D. Further Embodiments of the Invention

In certain aspects of the invention, plants described herein areprovided modified to include at least a first desired heritable trait.Such plants may, in one embodiment, be developed by a plant breedingtechnique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to a genetic locus transferred into the plant viathe backcrossing technique. The term single locus converted plant asused herein refers to those tomato plants which are developed by a plantbreeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to the single locus transferred into the varietyvia the backcrossing technique. By essentially all of the morphologicaland physiological characteristics, it is meant that the characteristicsof a plant are recovered that are otherwise present when compared in thesame environment, other than an occasional variant trait that mightarise during backcrossing or direct introduction of a transgene.

Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improveor introduce a characteristic into the present variety. The parentaltomato plant which contributes the locus for the desired characteristicis termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. This terminology refers tothe fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcrossprotocol and therefore does not recur. The parental tomato plant towhich the locus or loci from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred isknown as the recurrent parent as it is used for several rounds in thebackcrossing protocol.

In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest(recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent)that carries the single locus of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a tomato plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the convertedplant, in addition to the single transferred locus from the nonrecurrentparent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalvariety. To accomplish this, a single locus of the recurrent variety ismodified or substituted with the desired locus from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphologicalconstitution of the original variety. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross; one ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable trait to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered and the genetic distance between the recurrentand nonrecurrent parents. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele, or an additive allele (between recessive anddominant), may also be transferred. In this instance it may be necessaryto introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

In one embodiment, progeny tomato plants of a backcross in which a plantdescribed herein is the recurrent parent comprise (i) the desired traitfrom the non-recurrent parent and (ii) all of the physiological andmorphological characteristics of tomato the recurrent parent asdetermined at the 5% significance level when grown in the sameenvironmental conditions.

New varieties can also be developed from more than two parents. Thetechnique, known as modified backcrossing, uses different recurrentparents during the backcrossing. Modified backcrossing may be used toreplace the original recurrent parent with a variety having certain moredesirable characteristics or multiple parents may be used to obtaindifferent desirable characteristics from each.

With the development of molecular markers associated with particulartraits, it is possible to add additional traits into an established germline, such as represented here, with the end result being substantiallythe same base germplasm with the addition of a new trait or traits.Molecular breeding, as described in Moose and Mumm, 2008 (PlantPhysiol., 147: 969-977), for example, and elsewhere, provides amechanism for integrating single or multiple traits or QTL into an eliteline. This molecular breeding-facilitated movement of a trait or traitsinto an elite line may encompass incorporation of a particular genomicfragment associated with a particular trait of interest into the eliteline by the mechanism of identification of the integrated genomicfragment with the use of flanking or associated marker assays. In theembodiment represented here, one, two, three or four genomic loci, forexample, may be integrated into an elite line via this methodology. Whenthis elite line containing the additional loci is further crossed withanother parental elite line to produce hybrid offspring, it is possibleto then incorporate at least eight separate additional loci into thehybrid. These additional loci may confer, for example, such traits as adisease resistance or a fruit quality trait. In one embodiment, eachlocus may confer a separate trait. In another embodiment, loci may needto be homozygous and exist in each parent line to confer a trait in thehybrid. In yet another embodiment, multiple loci may be combined toconfer a single robust phenotype of a desired trait.

Many single locus traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improvedby backcrossing techniques. Single locus traits may or may not betransgenic; examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,herbicide resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,insect resistance, modified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism, andaltered nutritional quality. These comprise genes generally inheritedthrough the nucleus.

Direct selection may be applied where the single locus acts as adominant trait. For this selection process, the progeny of the initialcross are assayed for viral resistance and/or the presence of thecorresponding gene prior to the backcrossing. Selection eliminates anyplants that do not have the desired gene and resistance trait, and onlythose plants that have the trait are used in the subsequent backcross.This process is then repeated for all additional backcross generations.

Selection of tomato plants for breeding is not necessarily dependent onthe phenotype of a plant and instead can be based on geneticinvestigations. For example, one can utilize a suitable genetic markerwhich is closely genetically linked to a trait of interest. One of thesemarkers can be used to identify the presence or absence of a trait inthe offspring of a particular cross, and can be used in selection ofprogeny for continued breeding. This technique is commonly referred toas marker assisted selection. Any other type of genetic marker or otherassay which is able to identify the relative presence or absence of atrait of interest in a plant can also be useful for breeding purposes.Procedures for marker assisted selection are well known in the art. Suchmethods will be of particular utility in the case of recessive traitsand variable phenotypes, or where conventional assays may be moreexpensive, time consuming or otherwise disadvantageous. Types of geneticmarkers which could be used in accordance with the invention include,but are not necessarily limited to, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990),Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified FragmentLength Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety), and Single NucleotidePolymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998).

E. Plants Derived by Genetic Engineering

Many useful traits that can be introduced by backcrossing, as well asdirectly into a plant, are those which are introduced by moleculargenetic methods. Such methods include, but are not limited to, variousplant transformation techniques and methods for site-specificrecombination, the use of which are well-known in the art, and include,for example, the CRISPR-Cas system, zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), andtranscription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), among others.

In one embodiment of the invention, genetic transformation may be usedto insert a selected transgene into a plant of the invention or may,alternatively, be used for the preparation of transgenes which can beintroduced by backcrossing. Methods for the transformation of plantsthat are well-known to those of skill in the art and applicable to manycrop species include, but are not limited to, electroporation,microprojectile bombardment, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, anddirect DNA uptake by protoplasts.

To effect transformation by electroporation, one may employ eitherfriable tissues, such as a suspension culture of cells or embryogeniccallus or alternatively one may transform immature embryos or otherorganized tissue directly. In this technique, one would partiallydegrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them topectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wound tissues ina controlled manner.

An efficient method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plantcells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles arecoated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propellingforce. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten,platinum, and preferably, gold. For the bombardment, cells in suspensionare concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively,immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culturemedium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriatedistance below the macroprojectile stopping plate.

An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into plantcells by acceleration is the Biolistics Particle Delivery System, whichcan be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through ascreen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a surfacecovered with target cells. The screen disperses the particles so thatthey are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates.Microprojectile bombardment techniques are widely applicable, and may beused to transform virtually any plant species.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is another widely applicable system forintroducing gene loci into plant cells. An advantage of the technique isthat DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassingthe need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. ModernAgrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in E.coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations(Klee et al., Nat. Biotechnol., 3(7):637-642, 1985). Moreover, recenttechnological advances in vectors for Agrobacterium-mediated genetransfer have improved the arrangement of genes and restriction sites inthe vectors to facilitate the construction of vectors capable ofexpressing various polypeptide coding genes. The vectors described haveconvenient multi-linker regions flanked by a promoter and apolyadenylation site for direct expression of inserted polypeptidecoding genes. Additionally, Agrobacterium containing both armed anddisarmed Ti genes can be used for transformation.

In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation isefficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and definednature of the gene locus transfer. The use of Agrobacterium-mediatedplant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is wellknown in the art (Fraley et al., Nat. Biotechnol., 3:629-635, 1985; U.S.Pat. No. 5,563,055).

Transformation of plant protoplasts also can be achieved using methodsbased on calcium phosphate precipitation, polyethylene glycol treatment,electroporation, and combinations of these treatments (see, e.g.,Potrykus et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 199:183-188, 1985; Omirulleh et al.,Plant Mol. Biol., 21(3):415-428, 1993; Fromm et al., Nature,312:791-793, 1986; Uchimiya et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 204:204, 1986;Marcotte et al., Nature, 335:454, 1988). Transformation of plants andexpression of foreign genetic elements is exemplified in Choi et al.(Plant Cell Rep., 13:344-348, 1994) and Ellul et al. (Theor. Appl.Genet., 107:462-469, 2003).

A number of promoters have utility for plant gene expression for anygene of interest including but not limited to selectable markers,scoreable markers, genes for pest tolerance, disease resistance,nutritional enhancements and any other gene of agronomic interest.Examples of constitutive promoters useful for plant gene expressioninclude, but are not limited to, the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV)P-35S promoter, which confers constitutive, high-level expression inmost plant tissues (see, e.g., Odel et al., Nature, 313:810, 1985),including in monocots (see, e.g., Dekeyser et al., Plant Cell, 2:591,1990; Terada and Shimamoto, Mol. Gen. Genet., 220:389, 1990); a tandemlyduplicated version of the CaMV 35S promoter, the enhanced 35S promoter(P-e35S); the nopaline synthase promoter (An et al., Plant Physiol.,88:547, 1988); the octopine synthase promoter (Fromm et al., Plant Cell,1:977, 1989); and the figwort mosaic virus (P-FMV) promoter as describedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619 and an enhanced version of the FMV promoter(P-eFMV) where the promoter sequence of P-FMV is duplicated in tandem;the cauliflower mosaic virus 19S promoter; a sugarcane bacilliform viruspromoter; a commelina yellow mottle virus promoter; and other plant DNAvirus promoters known to express in plant cells.

A variety of plant gene promoters that are regulated in response toenvironmental, hormonal, chemical, and/or developmental signals can alsobe used for expression of an operably linked gene in plant cells,including promoters regulated by (1) heat (Callis et al., PlantPhysiol., 88:965, 1988), (2) light (e.g., pea rbcS-3A promoter,Kuhlemeier et al., Plant Cell, 1:471, 1989; maize rbcS promoter,Schaffner and Sheen, Plant Cell, 3:997, 1991; or chlorophyll a/b-bindingprotein promoter, Simpson et al., EMBO J., 4:2723, 1985), (3) hormones,such as abscisic acid (Marcotte et al., Plant Cell, 1:969, 1989), (4)wounding (e.g., wunl, Siebertz et al., Plant Cell, 1:961, 1989); or (5)chemicals such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, or Safener. It mayalso be advantageous to employ organ-specific promoters (e.g., Roshal etal., EMBO J., 6:1155, 1987; Schernthaner et al., EMBO J., 7:1249, 1988;Bustos et al., Plant Cell, 1:839, 1989).

Exemplary nucleic acids which may be introduced to plants of thisinvention include, for example, DNA sequences or genes from anotherspecies, or even genes or sequences which originate with or are presentin the same species, but are incorporated into recipient cells bygenetic engineering methods rather than classical reproduction orbreeding techniques. However, the term “exogenous” is also intended torefer to genes that are not normally present in the cell beingtransformed, or perhaps simply not present in the form, structure, etc.,as found in the transforming DNA segment or gene, or genes which arenormally present and that one desires to express in a manner thatdiffers from the natural expression pattern, e.g., to over-express.Thus, the term “exogenous” gene or DNA is intended to refer to any geneor DNA segment that is introduced into a recipient cell, regardless ofwhether a similar gene may already be present in such a cell. The typeof DNA included in the exogenous DNA can include DNA which is alreadypresent in the plant cell, DNA from another plant, DNA from a differentorganism, or a DNA generated externally, such as a DNA sequencecontaining an antisense message of a gene, or a DNA sequence encoding asynthetic or modified version of a gene.

Many hundreds if not thousands of different genes are known and couldpotentially be introduced into a tomato plant according to theinvention. Non-limiting examples of particular genes and correspondingphenotypes one may choose to introduce into a tomato plant include oneor more genes for insect tolerance, such as a Bacillus thuringiensis(B.t.) gene, pest tolerance such as genes for fungal disease control,herbicide tolerance such as genes conferring glyphosate tolerance, andgenes for quality improvements such as yield, nutritional enhancements,environmental or stress tolerances, or any desirable changes in plantphysiology, growth, development, morphology or plant product(s). Forexample, structural genes would include any gene that confers insecttolerance including but not limited to a Bacillus insect control proteingene as described in WO 99/31248, herein incorporated by reference inits entirety, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052, herein incorporated by referencein its entirety, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,365 and 5,880,275, hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety. In another embodiment, thestructural gene can confer tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate asconferred by genes including, but not limited to Agrobacterium strainCP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPS gene (aroA:CP4) as described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,633,435, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, orglyphosate oxidoreductase gene (GOX) as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,463,175, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the DNA coding sequences can affect these phenotypes byencoding a non-translatable RNA molecule that causes the targetedinhibition of expression of an endogenous gene, for example viaantisense- or cosuppression-mediated mechanisms (see, for example, Birdet al., Biotech. Gen. Engin. Rev., 9:207, 1991). The RNA could also be acatalytic RNA molecule (i.e., a ribozyme) engineered to cleave a desiredendogenous mRNA product (see for example, Gibson and Shillito, Mol.Biotech., 7:125,1997). Thus, any gene which produces a protein or mRNAwhich expresses a phenotype or morphology change of interest is usefulfor the practice of the present invention.

F. Definitions

In the description and tables herein, a number of terms are used. Inorder to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, the following definitions are provided:

Allele: Any of one or more alternative forms of a gene locus, all ofwhich alleles relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cellor organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding locion a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing: A process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybridprogeny, for example a first generation hybrid (F₁), back to one of theparents of the hybrid progeny. Backcrossing can be used to introduce oneor more single locus conversions from one genetic background intoanother.

Crossing: The mating of two parent plants.

Cross-Pollination: Fertilization by the union of two gametes fromdifferent plants.

Diploid: A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Emasculate: The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation ofthe organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemicalagent conferring male sterility.

Enzymes: Molecules which can act as catalysts in biological reactions.

F₁ Hybrid: The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenicplants.

Genotype: The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Haploid: A cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid.

Linkage: A phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

Marker: A readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited incodominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygoteare readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e.,heritability of 1.

Phenotype: The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL): Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer togenetic loci that control to some degree numerically representabletraits that are usually continuously distributed.

Resistance: As used herein, the terms “resistance” and “tolerance” areused interchangeably to describe plants that show no symptoms to aspecified biotic pest, pathogen, abiotic influence or environmentalcondition. These terms are also used to describe plants showing somesymptoms but that are still able to produce marketable product with anacceptable yield. Some plants that are referred to as resistant ortolerant are only so in the sense that they may still produce a crop,even though the plants are stunted and the yield is reduced.

Regeneration: The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Color Chart Value: The RHS color chartis a standardized reference which allows accurate identification of anycolor. A color's designation on the chart describes its hue, brightnessand saturation. A color is precisely named by the RHS color chart byidentifying the group name, sheet number and letter, e.g., Yellow-OrangeGroup 19A or Red Group 41B.

Self-Pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant: Plants which are developed bya plant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially allof the morphological and physiological characteristics of a tomatovariety are recovered in addition to the characteristics of the singlelocus transferred into the variety via the backcrossing technique and/orby genetic transformation.

Substantially Equivalent: A characteristic that, when compared, does notshow a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from themean.

Tissue Culture: A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or adifferent type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant.

Transgene: A genetic locus comprising a sequence which has beenintroduced into the genome of a tomato plant by transformation or sitespecific recombination.

G. Deposit Information

A deposit of tomato hybrid DRTC1003 and inbred parent linesCHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119, disclosed above and recited in theclaims, has been made with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC),10801 University Blvd., Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. The date of depositfor tomato hybrid DRTC1003 and inbred parent lines CHI-HE16-1025 andCHIHE14-1119 was Nov. 28, 2016. The accession numbers for thosedeposited seeds of tomato hybrid DRTC1003 and inbred parent linesCHI-HE16-1025 and CHIHE14-1119 are ATCC Accession Number PTA-123670,ATCC Accession Number PTA-123666, and ATCC Accession Number PTA-123668,respectively. Upon issuance of a patent, all restrictions upon thedeposits will be removed, and the deposits are intended to meet all ofthe requirements of 37 C.F.R. § 1.801-1.809. The deposits will bemaintained in the depository for a period of 30 years, or 5 years afterthe last request, or for the effective life of the patent, whichever islonger, and will be replaced if necessary during that period.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity andunderstanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

1. A tomato plant of tomato hybrid DRTC1003, a sample of seed of saidhybrid having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-123670. 2.A tomato seed that produces the plant of claim
 1. 3-6. (canceled)
 7. Aplant part of the plant of claim 1, wherein the plant part comprises acell of said plant.
 8. A tomato plant having all the physiological andmorphological characteristics of the plant of claim
 1. 9. A tissueculture of regenerable cells of the plant of claim
 1. 10. A method ofvegetatively propagating the tomato plant of claim 1, the methodcomprising the steps of: (a) collecting tissue capable of beingpropagated from the plant according to claim 1; and (b) propagating atomato plant from said tissue. 11-12. (canceled)
 13. A method ofproducing a tomato plant comprising an added trait, the methodcomprising introducing a transgene conferring the trait into a plantaccording to claim
 1. 14. A tomato plant produced by the method of claim13, wherein said plant comprises the trait and otherwise comprises allof the physiological and morphological characteristics of tomato hybridDRTC1003.
 15. A tomato plant of tomato hybrid DRTC1003, a sample of seedof said hybrid having been deposited under ATCC Accession NumberPTA-123670, further comprising a transgene.
 16. The plant of claim 15,wherein the transgene confers a trait selected from the group consistingof male sterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, pestresistance, disease resistance, modified fatty acid metabolism,environmental stress tolerance, modified carbohydrate metabolism, andmodified protein metabolism.
 17. A tomato plant of tomato hybridDRTC1003, a sample of seed of said hybrid having been deposited underATCC Accession Number PTA-123670, further comprising a single locusconversion.
 18. The plant of claim 17, wherein the single locusconversion confers a trait selected from the group consisting of malesterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance,disease resistance, modified fatty acid metabolism, environmental stresstolerance, modified carbohydrate metabolism, and modified proteinmetabolism.
 19. A method for producing a seed of a tomato plant derivedfrom tomato hybrid DRTC1003 the method comprising the steps of: (a)crossing a tomato plant according to claim 1 with itself or a secondtomato plant; and (b) allowing seed of a hybrid DRTC1003 derived tomatoplant to form.
 20. A method of producing a seed of a hybrid DRTC1003derived tomato plant, the method comprising the steps of: (a) producinga hybrid DRTC1003 derived tomato plant from a seed produced by crossinga tomato plant according to claim 1 with itself or a second tomatoplant; and (b) crossing the hybrid DRTC1003 line derived tomato plantwith itself or a different tomato plant to obtain a seed of a furtherhybrid DRTC1003 derived tomato plant.
 21. The method of claim 20, themethod further comprising producing a tomato plant grown from the seedof said step (b) and crossing said tomato plant with itself or adifferent tomato plant to produce a seed of a further hybrid DRTC1003derived tomato plant.
 22. A method of producing a tomato fruit, themethod comprising: (a) obtaining the plant according to claim 1, whereinthe plant has been cultivated to maturity; and (b) collecting a tomatofruit from the plant.